Mediterranean Gardens
Landscaping with palm trees, part 2.
As palms are among the most architectural,
ornamental and rewarding groups of plants,
they are worthy of in-depth discussion. More
specifically I want to discuss the crownshafted
palms. A crownshaft is an elongated
circumferential leaf base that girdle the stem
from 20 to 100 cm along the trunk at the top.
See image below:
short freezes to -4 degrees although some leaf
damage will occur. They are moderate growers
but never become huge, so can be considered
even for the smallest gardens.
Archontophoenix
cunninghamia
Most crownshafted palm species are of tropical
origin, that’s why they are the embodiment
of the tropics and would instantly create that
specific tropical feel in the garden.
In my opinion the most spectacular is the
lipstick palm (Cyrtostachys renda) and a
good second would be the Orange crownshaft palm (Areca vestiaria). Both species are
from the Malaysian and Indonesian Islands.
Unfortunately they require year round heat and
humidity and would succumb here.
Areca vestiaria
Cyrtostachys renda
However, there are a couple of crownshafted
palm species that are reasonably cold hardy
and can be grown without much problem at the
Costa Blanca!
The Illawarra/Piccabeen (Archontophoenix
cunninghamia) palm comes from the North and
Northeast coast of Australia, some occur as far
south as Sydney. They can withstand prolonged
cold temperatures of 5-10 degrees and even
16
A. alexandrae
The King Palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae)
is closely related to the Piccabeen palm and
especially when young is difficult to distinguish
from the latter. However, differences become
more apparent with age. The King palms
generally have wider trunks and slightly longer
and wider leaves than the Piccabeens. For
the rest, growth requirements are pretty much
similar. So if you want just more of the same,
consider the King palm!
The Foxtail palm (Wodyetia bifurcata) is a
relative newcomer in the palm world and was
named after Wodyeti, the Aborigine who first
brought it to the attention of botanists in 1978.
The reason for its late discovery is the relative
isolation of the very small part of Australia,
in the Cape Melville Range in the far Northeastern part of the country. Today it is easily
available and should be found at the better
stocked nurseries.
These palms are
highly adaptable to
most soil types and
exposures but should
be protected from
cold North winds.
Once established
they grow reasonably
fast. They do like
abundant watering in
summer.
Wodyetia bifurcata